South Africa’s West Coast, known for its stunning landscapes and unique biodiversity, is under threat from the relentless advance of the mining industry. Once a region of untouched beauty and rich cultural heritage, it is now marked by scars left by diamond extraction and other mining activities. The impact on local communities has been devastating, with many residents left in poverty as their land is ravaged and resources depleted.
Protect the West Coast (PTWC), a grassroots organisation, has emerged as a crucial force in the fight to preserve this fragile region. Through legal action, community engagement, and public awareness campaigns, PTWC is working to protect the West Coast from further exploitation, advocating for sustainable alternatives that honour the land and its people.
For a more in-depth look, read our interview with PTWC founder, Mike Schlebach.
What makes South Africa’s West Coast special?
Like much of South Africa, the West Coast is a biodiversity hotspot. There are plants and animals endemic to specific parts of the West Coast, which you’ll find nowhere else in the world. Like the newly rediscovered Golden Mole! It’s also home to some of our oldest fishing communities, which have already been massively impacted by the off-coast mining and trawling of this area.
The West Coast is special for its stunning, far-stretching beaches, its incredible flower season, its untouched nature, and its communities.
Why does it need to be protected?
A screenshot from this interactive map of the status of all known mineral extraction activities in the region
The West Coast is an environment severely under threat. There are many mining threats both to the coastline and the ocean — some of which are active, and others still prospecting.
“The history of mining on the West Coast is long, the diamond industry has been mining up in the Northern Cape area, on the beaches up there, for the last hundred odd years. But the creep is coming fast and furiously down the coastline.” — Mike Schlebach
This mining is incredibly damaging to the environment, leaving once-thriving ecosystems barren. None of the mining companies that have used this space have ever rehabilitated or replanted an inch of it. Despite legal obligations to restore mined areas, the lack of governmental oversight and enforcement has allowed mining companies to neglect their responsibilities.
These mines also have a serious negative impact on locals, as they prohibit and limit coastal access to traditional fishers and nearby communities. This is one of few food and financial sources for these communities; it is part of their heritage and their culture, and it is being denied to them.
“Apart from inland mining on the West Coast, there’s the beach mining. And then you’ve got on the near shore — most of the coastline has been divided up into diamond concessions. And then you’ve got diamond concessions further out to sea and now they’ve got oil and gas out to sea as well.” — Mike Schlebach
How PTWC is defending the coastline
The Protect the West Coast initiative has made significant strides in raising awareness and driving action to preserve one of South Africa’s most vulnerable regions. One of the organisation’s most notable achievements has been its extensive media outreach. Prior to the campaign’s efforts, only a few thousand people were aware of the environmental challenges facing the West Coast. Today, millions are informed, thanks to their ongoing efforts to highlight these critical issues.
A key victory for Protect the West Coast came through legal action, where they successfully halted TransHex’s mining operations in the Olifants River Estuary. The settlement, reached out of court, marked a major triumph in the fight to protect this vital and delicate ecosystem.
Beyond legal battles, Protect the West Coast has been actively working with various conservation organisations, including Cape Nature and Sanparks, to secure the Olifants River Estuary as a designated conservation area. This effort is especially urgent as multiple prospecting applications currently threaten the region, with the potential to lead to full-scale mining.
Actionable ways you can help the cause
So, how can you help prevent mining and exploitation of this area? Here are a few things you can do.
Register with Ripl
Ripl is PTWC’s new public portal for engaging with mining applications along the West Coast. It has just launched after two years in development, and will notify registered users of new applications, allowing you to review details, submit comments, and file appeals.
The platform aims to increase public participation by involving more concerned citizens as well as specialists and environmental experts. Ripl will empower more people to challenge mining projects and hold companies and the government accountable, making it more difficult for applications to pass without proper scrutiny and pushback. We are so excited about this project!
Donate
Donating is always a fantastic way to engage. PTWC puts your donations to great use, spreading the message, taking guilty parties to court, and holding companies and government accountable.
Donating is also a really great option for businesses who are interested in helping the community and environment of South Africa.
Share and spread awareness
Sharing and engaging on PTWCs social media posts on what’s happening on the West Coast is really impactful, despite being a small action in itself. It spreads the message — so many South Africans don’t even know this is happening in our own country — and brings visibility and accountability to the issue. The more people know about exploitative mining practices here, the better we can hold our government accountable for allowing it to happen.
Run West
Run West is an annual race along the beaches, villages and vegetation of the West Coast. It’s a really brilliant initiative which allows you to explore the area, support its protection and defence, and bring more visibility to the issue.
The next Run West is happening soon, on the 22 September 2024! You’ll be specifically running the prospected sites, so you can see just how much is at stake here.
This trail run has two routes — a 10km route with a difficulty rating of Easy, and a 21km route with a rating of Moderate.
Last thoughts on protecting the West Coast of SA
There are so many ways that the West Coast’s situation can be improved! Mining is not a necessary industry here; it has very little economic benefit for our country.
There are many exciting, hopeful projects, “like algae farming, kelp farming, perlemoen farming, all those kinds of things that are non extractive, they’re circular and they could have a very healthy home on the West Coast. They have the opportunity to employ so many community locals, with long term, sustainable jobs, not just for as long as the mine exists.” — Mike Schlebach
The West Coast can also be rehabilitated, encouraging local vegetation and wildlife to thrive here once again. There’s so much hope for the area. We just need to stop the mining and destruction of delicate areas, and bring more accountability into current processes.
Want to know more? Read our interview with PTWC founder, Mike Schlebach.
